Thermaltake Silent 1156 Intel LGA1156/LGA1155/LGA1151 90mm PWM CPU Cooler

the mb locks are plastic push in junk... they wont last... they wont stay locked in place... why didnt they just use screws???one star is too much...

I decided to rebuild my system to make it quieter and cooler. Since it is a two-year-old PC (running Intel® Core i7-860), I didn't want to spend too much, as I will, likely, want to upgrade to the next generation CPU next year.I replaced my case fans (Antec 300 stock fans) with Nexus D12SL-12BL 120mm fans. I did a bit of cable management to improve airflow, etc. I first bought the Cooler Master Hyper TX3, but found the 1156 mounting pins extremely flimsy, and the cooling performance sub-par. I am going to use it for my AMD-based file server. I searched for an alternative, inexpensive cooler, and decided to buy the Thermaltake Silent 1156 cooler. What a nice surprise this turned out to be! Everything was significantly better than the TX3: the packaging, the fan, even the fan cord. The mounting pins were sturdy and extremely easy to use. I applied the supplied thermal compound and mounted the fan without much effort. The fan takes up surprisingly little room in my case; it does not interfere with any other components.I am using an Intel P55 board, which has a really nice temperature and fan management system, controlled in the BIOS or via free Intel software. Even at heavy load, the cooler remains cool and quiet. I ran my tests on a hot day (80F) and my CPU temperature at idle was around 35C, and peaking at 65C at full load (running Prime 95 CPU stress test). This is a significant improvement over the stock fan. I must point out that I run my CPU at stock speed (2.8 GHz), and do not overclock any of my system components. I have an EVGA GTX460 video card.My case is set up with four fans: two front intake fans, one top and one rear exhaust fans. If your Thermaltake Silent 1156 fan is loud, chances are, the fan is running at a really high RPM. If you don't overclock, have good airflow in your case, and use some sort of fan control (e.g., via the motherboard's built-in system, or a dedicated fan controller), this cooler will be cool and quiet. One can never underestimate the importance of good cable management and proper airflow in the case!I would recommend the Thermaltake Silent 1156 as a very affordable, yet high quality replacement for the Intel stock fan for cool and quiet operation at stock speeds. If you plan to overclock your CPU, you should probably look elsewhere.

This cooler makes an odd noise, even at low speeds, and is fairly loud at faster speeds. Not sure why people review it as otherwise. Maybe if your computer already sounds like a jet engine, you won't hear this cooler over the noise and it will seem like it's quiet.

I don't trust the plastic clips that hold this on the motherboard. I can see this easily falling off which is just what I don't need, ever.